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diff --git a/lib/ebooks/devils/preface.html b/lib/ebooks/devils/preface.html new file mode 100644 index 00000000..19c585ca --- /dev/null +++ b/lib/ebooks/devils/preface.html @@ -0,0 +1,48 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "+//ISBN 0-9673008-1-9//DTD OEB 1.0 Document//EN" + "http://openebook.org/dtds/oeb-1.0/oebdoc1.dtd"> +<html> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/x-oeb1-document; charset=utf-8" /> +<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/x-oeb1-css" href="devil.css" /> +<title>The Devil’s Dictionary: Preface</title> +</head> +<body lang="en-us"> + +<h1>Preface</h1> + +<p class="firstpara"><i>The Devil’s Dictionary</i> +was begun in a weekly paper in 1881, and was continued in a desultory way at +long intervals until 1906. In that year a large part of it was published in +covers with the title <i>The Cynic’s Word Book</i>, +a name which the author had not the power to reject or happiness to approve. To +quote the publishers of the present work:</p> + +<p class="indentpara">“This more reverent title had previously been forced upon him by the religious scruples of +the last newspaper in which a part of the work had appeared, with the natural +consequence that when it came out in covers the country already had been +flooded by its imitators with a score of ‘cynic’ books—<i>The Cynic’s This</i>, <i>The Cynic’s That</i>, +and <i>The Cynic’s t’Other</i>. Most of these books +were merely stupid, though some of them added the distinction of silliness. +Among them, they brought the word ‘cynic’ into disfavor so deep that any book +bearing it was discredited in advance of publication.”</p> + +<p class="indentpara">Meantime, too, some of the enterprising humorists of the country had helped themselves to such +parts of the work as served their needs, and many of its definitions, +anecdotes, phrases and so forth, had become more or less current in popular +speech. This explanation is made, not with any pride of priority in trifles, +but in simple denial of possible charges of plagiarism, which is no trifle. In +merely resuming his own the author hopes to be held guiltless by those to whom +the work is addressed—enlightened souls who prefer dry wines to sweet, sense to +sentiment, wit to humor and clean English to slang.</p> + +<p class="indentpara">A conspicuous, and it is hope not unpleasant, feature of the book is its abundant illustrative +quotations from eminent poets, chief of whom is that learned and ingenius +cleric, Father Gassalasca Jape, S.J., whose lines bear his initials. To Father +Jape’s kindly encouragement and assistance the author of the prose text is +greatly indebted.</p> + +<p style="text-align: right">A. B.</p> + +</body> +</html>
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